Choosing a new driveway usually comes down to two front runners: block paving and tarmac. Both are proven surfaces on Bedfordshire and West Midlands homes, but they behave very differently over ten to twenty years. Here is a straight comparison to help you decide what actually suits your property, budget and drive.
As a rough guide across Luton and the West Midlands, tarmac tends to land around £45 to £80 per square metre installed, while block paving usually sits nearer £70 to £120 per square metre. A standard two car drive of roughly 40 square metres therefore often means tarmac is the cheaper starting point by a noticeable margin.
The real cost driver on both is what sits underneath. A proper sub base of Type 1 MOT stone, correct excavation depth and edge restraints matter far more than the surface itself. A cheap driveway laid straight onto old ground will fail within a few winters whatever the top layer.
Since 2008, if your new driveway is over five square metres and drains onto the road, you generally need permeable construction or somewhere on your own land for water to soak away, or you may need planning permission. This affects both surfaces.
Block paving handles this well because permeable blocks with an open jointing grit let water drain through into the sub base. Standard tarmac is impermeable, so it needs a soakaway, a permeable border or a drainage channel to comply. Porous tarmac exists but is a more specialist product.
Block paving gives the more premium finish, with colours, borders and patterns that suit period and new build homes alike. If a section sinks or a block cracks, individual blocks can be lifted and relaid, and an oil stain can mean swapping a single unit rather than patching the whole drive.
Tarmac gives a clean, seamless look and copes brilliantly with larger areas and gentle slopes. It is quicker to lay, usually trafficable within a day or two, and very hard wearing. The trade off is that repairs show as patches, and it can soften slightly in very hot spells or be marked by sharp trailer jockey wheels and turning power steering.
Block paving asks for a little more attention: occasional weeding of joints, topping up jointing sand, and a wash and reseal every few years keeps it sharp. Well laid blocks can last twenty years or more.
Tarmac is largely fit and forget. An occasional sweep and a seal coat after several years to restore colour and protect against fuel spills is usually all it needs, with a typical life of fifteen to twenty years when the base is right.
Block paving generally gives stronger kerb appeal and is often seen as the more upmarket finish, which can help at sale. That said, a tidy, well drained tarmac drive still presents far better than a tired or pooling old surface.
It is sometimes possible to overlay sound tarmac, but laying over cracked or poorly draining ground simply hides problems that will return. We usually recommend assessing the base first rather than paying twice.
A typical domestic tarmac drive is often completed in two to four days depending on size and groundworks, while block paving usually takes a little longer due to the hand laying and jointing. Weather and excavation findings can affect both.
Tell us about your job and we will get back to you with a clear, no-obligation quote.